As always, Sporting News’ weekly Field of 68 is a projection of what the NCAA Tournament selection committee would do based on what’s happened so far this season.

Note: Automatic bids, listed in parenthesis, are given to the team with the fewest conference losses (through Sunday’s games). In the case of ties, the designation is given to the team with the best Pomeroy rating. RPI numbers are from CBSSports.com.

Arizona — Record: 18-0. Rankings: RPI 3, Pomeroy 1. Last week: 1 seed. Need to know: The Wildcats continue to roll through the season undefeated. Last week, in their lone game, they dispatched rival Arizona State with little resistance. This week, home contests at home against Colorado and Utah, two good-not-great teams.

Syracuse — Record: 18-0. Rankings: RPI 6, Pomeroy 3. Last week: 1 seed. Need to know: This wasn’t a dominant week for the Orange, but it was a productive week. Syracuse rallied in the second half to pull out a road victory at Boston College, then outlasted Pitt at home in an oh-so-important game in the ACC standings. Worth noting: Freshman point guard Tyler Ennis played every single minute in both of those games; he had 28 points, eight assists, seven steals and committed just two turnovers in those 80 minutes. Impressive.

Michigan State — Record: 17-1. Rankings: RPI 7, Pomeroy 5. Last week: 1 seed. Need to know: Road wins in the Big Ten aren’t supposed to be easy this year, but the Spartans made Ws at Northwestern and Illinois seem pretty easy. This week, they play a pair of home games, against Indiana and Michigan.

Villanova — Record: 16-2. Rankings: RPI 2, Pomeroy 2. Last week: 2 seed. Need to know: Why do the computers value Villanova (No. 2 in RPI and Pomeroy) a little more than the human voters (No. 4 in the AP poll)? For starters, the Wildcats have an incredibly solid resume—12 wins against teams in the RPI top 120 including an excellent kicker (neutral site win against Kansas). Plus, there’s very little fat in that resume—they’ve only played three games against teams ranked worse than 180 in the RPI.

Kansas — Record: 14-4. Rankings: RPI 1, Pomeroy 8. Last week: 3 seed. Need to know: The Jayhawks faced a brutal start to the Big 12 season, right after a home loss to San Diego State. Apparently coach Bill Self’s team was not daunted by the task; the Jayhawks are undefeated in the league, with wins against five NCAA-bound teams. Yes, Kansas has four losses, but the Jayhawks now have four wins against teams in the RPI top 20, seven against RPI top 50 teams and nine against RPI top 75 teams. That’s solid.

Wisconsin — Record: 16-2. Rankings: RPI 5, Pomeroy 9. Last week: 1 seed. Need to know: This wasn’t an enjoyable week for the Badgers and their fans. On Tuesday, they lost on the road against an Indiana team that played its best game of the season, and then on Saturday, they lost at home to a surging Michigan squad. If the Badgers want to contend for the Big Ten regular-season championship (they’re two games back in the loss column now), they can’t afford to lose to anyone at the Kohl Center.

Wichita State — Record: 19-0. Rankings: RPI 9, Pomeroy 10. Last week: 2 seed. Need to know: This week offers a couple of challenges to the undefeated record. The tougher game is at Illinois State on Wednesday; the Redbirds beat a very good Dayton team there earlier this season. On Saturday, the play another road game, at Drake.

Florida — Record: 15-2. Rankings: RPI 8, Pomeroy 17. Last week: 3 seed. Need to know: The Gators have a solid SOS (RPI 20), a kicker victory (vs. Kansas) and an excellent chance of staying undefeated in the SEC heading into back-to-back road games at Tennessee and Kentucky in mid-February. Depending on how things shake out at the top of the bracket, they’re a sleeper candidate for a No. 1 seed in March.

Iowa — Record: 15-3. Rankings: RPI 26, Pomeroy 4. Last week: 3 seed. Need to know: The Hawkeyes have a huge contest Wednesday at Michigan, then a dangerous trap game at Northwestern Saturday (the Wildcats have wins against Illinois and Indiana).

Iowa State — Record: 14-3. Rankings: RPI 10, Pomeroy 19. Last week: 2 seed. Need to know: All of a sudden, the Cyclones have dropped three games in a row—at Oklahoma, vs. Kansas and at Texas. None of those are even remotely “bad” losses, but the schedule doesn’t get much easier anytime soon. Their next four games are against solid NCAA Tournament teams — K-State, KU, OU and Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State — Record: 15-3. Rankings: RPI 13, Pomeroy 12. Last week: 2 seed. Need to know: The Cowboys have a week off after their oh-so-close game at Kansas on Saturday, a wild game that won’t soon be forgotten by those who watched in person or on TV. It’s a missed opportunity (the final score was 80-78), but obviously, losing at Kansas won’t hurt Oklahoma State’s NCAA resume at all.

San Diego State — Record: 16-1. Rankings: RPI 14, Pomeroy 21. Last week: 3 seed. Need to know: The Aztecs’ lone loss is to the team currently ranked No. 1 in the country, and they have a neutral-court win against Creighton and a road win at Kansas. Yep, that’s a solid resume.

Michigan's Nik Stauskas is a big reason the Wolverines have won seven in a row. (AP Photo)

No. 4 seeds: Duke, Michigan, Cincinnati (AAC), Massachusetts

Duke — Record: 14-4. Rankings: RPI 17, Pomeroy 20. Last week: 6 seed. Need to know: It’s been an odd stretch of basketball for the Blue Devils, to be sure. Here’s a quick NCAA Tournament resume reset: They have an excellent SOS (RPI 17), four RPI top 50 wins and two of their four losses were against Kansas (RPI 1) and Arizona (RPI 3). Notre Dame’s recent nosedive isn’t helping anything, but that’s not a huge concern.

Michigan — Record: 13-4. Rankings: RPI 27, Pomeroy 14. Last week: 6 seed. Need to know: The Wolverines are now 7-0 since losing Mitch McGary for the season (5-0 in Big Ten play), and they picked up the most impressive win of that stretch (by far) with a win at Wisconsin Saturday. Sophomores Caris LeVert and Nik Stauskas combined for 43 points in that win at the Kohl Center, continuing their impressive play sans McGary.

Cincinnati — Record: 17-2. Rankings: RPI 22, Pomeroy 22. Last week: 5 seed. Need to know: The Bearcats maintained last week, winning games against a pair of non-NCAA Tournament teams (Temple and South Florida) to run their AAC record to 6-0. Should they repeat that feat this week, they’ll be 8-0 heading into a massive Jan. 30 showdown at Louisville.

Massachusetts — Record: 16-1. Rankings: RPI 4, Pomeroy 29. Last week: 5 seed. Need to know: The Minutemen have an impressive 10 non-conference wins against teams in the RPI top 100. Wednesday’s game at Richmond (RPI 61) is another chance to add to that list.

No. 5 seeds: Pittsburgh, Kentucky, Creighton, Ohio State

Pittsburgh — Record: 16-2. Rankings: RPI 18, Pomeroy 6. Last week: 5 seed. Need to know: The Panthers have an odd resume. Their non-conference schedule was awful (as has been pointed out repeatedly everywhere) and their best wins are against fringe bubble teams, but their losses are by single digits to teams with a combined 35-2 record (Syracuse and Cincinnati). What does that mean? That they have to prove themselves pretty much every time they step on the court, starting with Tuesday against Clemson.

Kentucky — Record: 13-4. Rankings: RPI 11, Pomeroy 16. Last week: 4 seed. Need to know: The Wildcats bounced back well from their last-second overtime loss at Arkansas with a home win against a pretty good (but very streaky) Tennessee squad.

Creighton — Record: 15-2. Rankings: RPI 15, Pomeroy 13. Last week: 4 seed. Need to know: The Bluejays’ claim to being the best in the new Big East took a hit this week with a 13-point loss at Providence in a game that was never really close. They’ll have to play much better Monday night at Villanova, which is no easy task.

Ohio State — Record: 15-4. Rankings: RPI 12, Pomeroy 11. Last week: 4 seed. Need to know: The Buckeyes have lost four consecutive games after starting the season with an extended stretch of undefeated basketball. Unlike Iowa State, the schedule offers the Buckeyes at least an opportunity for relief in the next week or so. And even though their computer numbers are excellent, the resume is thin; Ohio State’s best win is either against North Dakota State or Maryland, depending on which rating you prefer.

No. 6 seeds: Memphis, Oklahoma, Louisville, Baylor

Memphis — Record: 13-4. Rankings: RPI 39, Pomeroy 26. Last week: 6 seed. Need to know: Josh Pastner’s team is 3-0 on the road in AAC play, but 0-2 at home (losses to Cincinnati and UConn). The odd start to league play is the continuation of an odd non-conference portion of the season. The Tigers have home games this week against Houston and South Florida.

Oklahoma — Record: 14-4. Rankings: RPI 16, Pomeroy 38. Last week: 6 seed. Need to know: The Sooners split a pair of tough road games last week (loss at Kansas State, win at Baylor), which is a good thing. An overtime loss at home to Louisiana Tech is the only thing resembling a blemish on the resume, and that’s really not as bad as it might initially seem.

Louisville — Record: 16-3. Rankings: RPI 31, Pomeroy 7. Last week: 7 seed. Need to know: All things considered, the Cardinals’ 12-point win at UConn Saturday was easily their best of the season. It was just their fourth against a team in the RPI top 100.

Baylor — Record: 13-5. Rankings: RPI 42, Pomeroy 42. Last week: 4 seed. Need to know: This was a brutal week for Baylor; after losses at Texas Tech (ugh) and at home by two points to Oklahoma, their computer numbers dropped drastically. They were 15th in the RPI last week and 29th in the Pomeroy ratings when we did this exercise last Monday. You see where they are now, the result of a 1-4 start to Big 12 play (and the lone win is at home against cellar-dweller TCU).

No. 7 seeds: Saint Louis (A-10), Connecticut, Virginia, California

Saint Louis — Record: 17-2. Rankings: RPI 28, Pomeroy 24. Last week: 7 seed. Need to know: There’s a pretty solid chance the Billikens will be undefeated in Atlantic 10 play heading into a Feb. 15 game at home against VCU.

Connecticut — Record: 14-4. Rankings: RPI 28, Pomeroy 35. Last week: 7 seed. Need to know: It’s not surprising the Huskies split their games this week against Memphis and Louisville, but it would have been more logical for them to lose at Memphis and win at home against the Cardinals. Instead, they flipped that script. They need to win their next three games heading into a Feb. 6 game at Cincinnati.

Virginia — Record: 14-5. Rankings: RPI 23, Pomeroy 15. Last week: 8 seed. Need to know: The Cavaliers are one failed comeback attempt at Duke from being undefeated in ACC play, a mark that included two wins against Florida State. Their excellent SOS (RPI 9) helps balance out their five losses.

California — Record: 14-4. Rankings: RPI 32, Pomeroy 30. Last week: 9 seed. Need to know: Mike Montgomery’s team has started 5-0 in Pac-12 play, including wins at Oregon and Stanford. Adding a win at UCLA Saturday would give the Golden Bears an excellent trio of road victories.

No. 8 seeds: Kansas State, UCLA, Colorado, Florida State

Kansas State — Record: 14-4. Rankings: RPI 34, Pomeroy 39. Last week: 10 seed. Need to know: The Wildcats made that ugly loss at Kansas look like a hiccup with solid home wins against Oklahoma and West Virginia. This week is huge, with roadies at Texas and Iowa State; splitting those two contests would be impressive.

UCLA — Record: 14-4. Rankings: RPI 30, Pomeroy 27. Last week: 8 seed. Need to know: The win at Colorado was nice, but the committee will be fully aware the Buffaloes were without Spencer Dinwiddie. Following that up with a loss at Utah doesn’t help their resume.

Colorado — Record: 15-4. Rankings: RPI 19, Pomeroy 54. Last week: 5 seed. Need to know: Colorado lost its first full game without Spender Dinwiddie, at home to UCLA. After knocking off a reeling USC squad, the Buffaloes take the Arizona swing this week, with games at the top-ranked Wildcats and Arizona State. Splitting those games is key.

Florida State — Record: 12-5. Rankings: RPI 24, Pomeroy 18. Last week: 8 seed. Need to know: The Seminoles cannot beat Virginia, apparently, but aside from that, they have a decent NCAA Tournament resume. It’s worth noting that four of their top five wins came away from home. The selection committee will like that.

Joseph Young, the Ducks' leading scorer, and Oregon have struggled recently with four straight losses. (AP PHOTO)

No. 9 seeds: Gonzaga (WCC), Oregon, Xavier, VCU

Gonzaga — Record: 16-3. Rankings: RPI 20, Pomeroy 26. Last week: 9 seed. Need to know: The Zags have a shiny record but thin resume; their best wins are against bubble teams Arkansas and St. Mary’s, which makes games like Saturday at home against BYU very important.

Oregon — Record: 13-4. Rankings: RPI 25, Pomeroy 46. Last week: 7 seed. Need to know: OK, it’s time for Ducks fans to be concerned with their spot in the NCAA Tournament. They’ve lost four in a row (their most recent loss, at Oregon State Saturday, was the worst of the bunch), and they don’t have a win over a team that’s an at-large lock (though, they’ve knocked off bubble teams BYU, Georgetown and Illinois). Oregon can’t really afford to lose both of its road games in the state of Washington this week.

Xavier — Record: 15-4. Rankings: RPI 34, Pomeroy 31. Last week: 10 seed. Need to know: That was a convincing home win against Georgetown; the Musketeers followed that up with a road win at DePaul.

VCU — Record: 14-4. Rankings: RPI 46, Pomeroy 34. Last week: 8 seed. Need to know: The Rams are an excellent team, but they don’t have an excellent at-large resume. The win at Virginia in early November looks better by the day, but it’s one of only two against RPI top 100 teams. This week is huge, with games at Dayton and La Salle.

No. 10 seeds: Minnesota, North Carolina, George Washington, Texas

Minnesota — Record: 14-5. Rankings: RPI 33, Pomeroy 33. Last week: 10 seed. Need to know: The Golden Gophers are an NCAA Tournament-quality team, without a doubt. They’d go a long way toward making their resume closer to an at-large lock with a home win against Wisconsin Wednesday.

North Carolina — Record: 11-7. Rankings: RPI 56, Pomeroy 40. Last week: 11 seed. Need to know: Even though they seem like many seasons ago, the Tar Heels’ wins against Michigan State, Kentucky and Louisville still count toward North Carolina’s tournament resume. Will those be enough to offset a litany of losses (including an 0-3 start to ACC play)? For now, yes. This week is huge.

George Washington — Record: 15-3. Rankings: RPI 21, Pomeroy 45. Last week: 12 seed. Need to know: The Colonials had an outstanding week, beating VCU at home and winning on the road against a solid St. Bonaventure team. They have just one game this week, at George Mason Saturday.

Texas — Record: 14-4. Rankings: RPI 45, Pomeroy 43. Last week: 12 seed. Need to know: The Longhorns got their most important victory since 2012 with a home win against Iowa State on Saturday. It’s an anchor for an ever-improving tournament resume.

No. 11 seeds: Harvard (Ivy), SMU, Providence, Stanford

Harvard — Record: 14-2. Rankings: RPI 32, Pomeroy 28. Last week: 11 seed. Need to know: Harvard’s at-large chances are bleak (Green Bay is the Crimson’s only quality win); Tommy Amaker’s team still has an outstanding shot at the NCAA Tournament as the overwhelming Ivy League favorites, though. The computer numbers will continue to stagnate as Harvard plays a conference schedule consisting mostly of teams ranked between 200 and 300 in the computer numbers.

SMU — Record: 14-4. Rankings: RPI 44, Pomeroy 25. Last week: 11 seed. Need to know: The Mustangs won three times this week, though they were heavily favored in all three. At this point of the season, though, avoiding resume blemishes is just about as important as notching quality wins.

Providence — Record: 13-5. Rankings: RPI 48, Pomeroy 51. Last week: bubble team. Need to know: Riding an impressive three-game winning streak — by 18 vs. Georgetown, in two OTs at St. John’s and by 13 vs. Creighton — the Friars move into the field this week. If they win home games this week against Butler and Xavier, they could rise quickly.

Stanford — Record: 12-5. Rankings: RPI 44, Pomeroy 55. Last week: bubble team. Need to know: Three of their five losses are to at-large caliber teams, and they have wins at Connecticut and Oregon.

Dayton — Record: 13-5. Rankings: RPI 50, Pomeroy 52. Last week: 11 seed. Need to know: After a 1-2 start to Atlantic 10 play, winning at home against VCU on Wednesday seems pretty important to the Flyers’ at-large hopes.

New Mexico — Record: 13-4. Rankings: RPI 47, Pomeroy 63. Last week: 9 seed. Need to know: UNLV has exactly one win against a team in the RPI top 115, and it came at New Mexico last week. That’s not a good thing for the Lobos, who have only one win against a sure NCAA team (vs. Cincinnati in early December).

Missouri — Record: 14-3. Rankings: RPI 54, Pomeroy 55. Last week: 9 seed. Need to know: The Tigers opened SEC play with an easy schedule — four games against teams outside the RPI top 90 — but somehow managed to eek out just a 2-2 record. The home loss to Georgia was crushing, and the loss at Vandy wasn’t much better. Mizzou’s resume is anchored to a home win against a UCLA team that just lost at Utah.

Arkansas — Record: 12-5. Rankings: RPI 47, Pomeroy 67. Last week: bubble team. Need to know: If the Razorbacks can’t fix their road woes (history says they won’t), they won’t be long for the field. But they have wins against Kentucky (home), Minnesota (neutral) and SMU (home), which gets them in this week.